Even though many of Teen Mom OG star Maci Bookout's problems these days can seem commonplace, this isn't how things have always been.
Although the show now seems to focus on the more low-key aspects of motherhood and co-parenting, Maci's beginning was very difficult - and now she's opening up about it.
Things weren't always easy for Maci Bookout. While now she has a home, growing family, a supportive husband, and a six-figure income, that has very little in common with where she started.
And although we've seen a lot of her early difficulties on TV, Maci is taking the time to open up about what we didn't see.
She's doing so with the release of a new collection of her own personally authored poems. The collection is titled "The Battle Upstairs: Poetry Book," and Maci is giving all of her fans a sneak peak.
On Instagram, she shared the entirety of one of the collections poems:
"Desperate to be clothed in it / she had been homesick for his scent. / What once smelled like safety, / now smelled of shame. / It was then she knew / she had escaped."
Although poetry is open to interpretation, for many fans, this clearly seems to be about her toxic relationship with her first baby daddy Ryan Edwards.
Though she was once comforted by him, she is now virtually repulsed by him.
Maci's poetry will hit shelves soon. How do you interpret this poem?
Maci Bookout's Ugly Feud With Mackenzie Standifer Heats Up: 'Stop Making Fun of My Son!'
When you're on Teen Mom, you have to learn to develop a thick skin. By now, it's no doubt that Maci Bookout is used to deflecting hundreds of rude comments from fans and tabloids every week - but it's a little different when it's coming from the stepmother of your son!
Things between Maci and Mackenzie Standifer have been tense almost from the beginning, but now things are worse than ever.
To understand this feud, first you need to understand the recent accusations Maci has received about her son.
For his whole life, Maci Bookout's son Bentley has loved playing sports.
Ever since he was little, he's been interested in being active and having fun, but it was only recently that he got into wrestling.
As anyone who has experience with wrestling knows, weight plays an important role - it determines your weight class and opponents. For Maci, this is where the trouble started.
In a recent episode of Teen Mom, Maci reveals that Bentley is on a "strict diet" to make weight for wrestling, which has "been a great outlet for him," according to the mom of three.
In one scene where Bentley asks for grilled chicken for dinner, Maci tells him he's "lost his mind."
"He weighs like 74-75 pounds so he's on a very strict, good, healthy calorie diet," Maci shared. "Lots of water and workouts to actually cut out weight."
Bentley shared he's only eating about 1,000 calories a day.
It wasn't long before Maci began receiving backlash for this update.
"I am normally on the same page with you about so much—but the weight thing... I have a son the same age as Bentley and I could not imagine telling him it is okay to lose weight at his age. He's a growing boy and his body needs those calories and nutrients. Let him be little. And let him have the damn chocolate milk," one fan wrote in to Maci on Instagram.
Another even accused, "You are creating an eating disorder in that boy. Shame on your parenting. This episode just makes me so sick. He's 11. No 11 year old should be on a diet."
Now, Mackenzie Standifer is sharing her two cents as well.
Mackenzie shared her views on the controversial Teen Mom YouTube fan channel, Without a Crystal Ball.
“I just never want any of our kids to ever feel like they need to go to those lengths to be successful," Mackenzie shared. "You train, you do your practices, you win some, you lose some. And ultimately, you want to win, but you don’t have to go that far. And I get it that there are wrestlers who- that’s how they do things. But at 11 years old, I don’t think introducing those habits at such a young age ends well, ever.”
But now, Maci is fighting back.
In an update from Celebmagazine, Maci shared what she is and isn't having her son do:
- Not skipping breakfast- drinking more water ALL day
- Choosing high calorie, good fat/carbs, natural sugars and protein
- Learning how to grocery shop and cook healthy meals and snacks
She added, “If introducing eating habits such as [those above] is never going to end well, then I’ve lost my mind. [She was] making statements based on ignorance, never telling the truth.”
She went on with a more pointed dig.
“If she or Ryan actually talked to Bentley or me about it, they would be certain that it was Bentley’s choice to maintain his weight in his weight class, but considering they only spend a couple of hours a week around him and never show interest in showing up for more than one event a month…it’s fair to say that what they ’thought’ was wrong," Maci said, setting her sights on both Mackenzie and Ryan.
She added, "And, I’ll say it again- this is making statements based on ignorance that never tell the truth.”
What do you think about this update? Let us know in the comments and SHARE this article!